The experiment described in this report investigates two basic questions concerning beginning reading instruction to speakers of nonstandard dialects. 1--Will learning to read be facilitated if the primary reading material is phrased in the actual word patterns and grammatical structure used by the children in their oral speech? 2--Will learning the same story rephrased in speech patterns corresponding to standard English usage be facilitated if the children first learn to read the story phrased in the word patterns and grammatical structure corresponding to their oral speech? Using the concepts of "everyday talk" and "school talk" with special emphasis on the verb-usage differences between the two, an experimental class was conducted with the above questions in mind. Results of tests administered to the experimental group and the control group show that there is a definite trend in favor of the experimental group. The experimental reading program encourages the teacher to respect and accept the children's established dialect while at the same time providing a framework to help the children learn to read, gradually and systematically using standard English in their oral language activities. For additional information, see FL 002 946. (Author/VM)